Automatic bucket.



No. 872,634. l l PATENTED DBG; s, 1907.

- E. F. ATHERTON,

AUTOMATIG BUCKET.

APPLICATION FILED SEPTJG, 1907,

THE NoRms PETERS cn.,'wAsmNsroN, n. cA

EDMOND F.A ATHERTON, OF CLEVELAND. OHIO.

AUTOMATIC BUCKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

Application tiled September 16| 1907. Serial No. 393|148| To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, EDMOND F. ATHER- ToN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Buckets, of which I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The objects of the invention are to provide an automatically operating bucket having two scoop portions which are brought powerfully together to inclose the load and then are adapted to be raised in the closed position and opened to release the load at the desired elevation.

The objects of the invention are also to provide means for obtaining greater power of action for drawing the scoop portions together through the load or ore pile and for providing the device with operating devices having greater efficiency and practicability in use, than the device described and claimed in my Letters Patent of the United States, bearing date of October 4th, 1904,

' and No. 771,597.

leys.

In the patent referred to the scoops depend from long links which are pivotally attached to the frame of the bucket and to the inner or meetinfr edges of the scoop portions, and from short links at their outer ends, thus providing for a long and free swinging movement of each portion and the power to close the scoop portions is applied by means of bell crank levers pivoted upon the frame, the shorter arms of which are pivotally connected with the outer ends of the scoop portions and the longer arms of the bell-cranks are provided with pulleys over which run the closing ropes. This form of construction requires the use of separate duplicate opening and closing lines and to give the operating levers the required length they must pass one another and hence can not be formed. of

increased power, together with increased simplicity of construction of parts, and less complication of manipulating ropes and pulrllhe device is designed to utilize the well known toggle joint to operate the bell cranks by means of which the scoop portions are brought together and the invention further consists in the operating drum and in the combination and arrangement of partsl the working parts are pivoted 3, 3 are the scoop portions which come together` on their inner edges at 4, and have their inner ends supported by means of the long links 5',- 5 which are pivoted at 6, 6 to the frame, thus permitting of a long outward swinging movement of the inner ends of the scoop portions. The outer ends of the scoop portions are connected with the frame by means of shorter links 7, 7 the effect of this form of suspension being to throw the scoop portions into a substantially vertical position when separated to release the ore as seen in dotted lines in Fig. 1.`

The automatic mechanism for opening and closing the buckets isshown to consist of bell cranks 8 pivoted at 9 in the solid diaphragm which connects the side plates together, and forms a bearing for the central large operating pulley 10 and in which also the small increased power pulleys 11, 11 are mounted one on each side of the operating'pulley.

Short links 12, 12 connect the outer ends of the scoop portions with downwardly turned arms 13, 13 of the bell cranks and the power is applied directly to the up er arms 14, 14 of the bell cranks by means ofp rods 15, 15 pivoted to the extremities of the upper bell crank arms and having their inner extremities joined in the vertical longitudinal center line of the bucket by means of a common shaft 16 which is free to move vertically in the manner of a toggle joint between the sides of the bucket. Ropes 17, 17, secured to this shaft are passed over the increased power pulleys 11, 11 and secured thereto, or to double the power, pulleys 18 may be pivoted on this shaft and ropes may pass thereover to the power pulleys, and may run to a dead end as at 19 in the frame or diaphragm, as shown in Fig. 3.

A hold up rope 20 is secured to the shaft 16 and a closing rope 21 is passed over the operating pulley 10 and secured thereto at 22.

the link.

A guide pulley 23 is employed in connection with this rope and is mounted in bearings supported upon the vertically removable shaft 16. It will be seen that by pulling upon the closing rope 21, the operating pulley 11 will be rotated and the ropes 17, 17 will be wound up On lthe increased power pulleys 11, 11 thus drawing down the vertically movable shaft 16 and straightening the toggle formed by the connected links and movable shaft and in this manner the upper arms of the bell crank will be depressed and the lower arms will draw the outer ends of the bucket powerfully inward while the inner ends swing freely On their links.

Any desired proportion may be maintained between the Operating and power pulleys so that the degree of power has no limitation eXcept by the size of the bucket. Ihen the load is Obtained it can be raised by pulling upon both hold-up and closing ropes, but when it is desired to release the load the closing rope can be released and the holding rope will Open the toggle joint and return the scoop portions to the vertical position. It will be seen that only one hold up rope and one closing rope are necessary and the power in the Operating pulleys may or may not be doubled as desired. A stop such as at 80 is preferably employed to prevent the toggle from passing the horizontal straight line.

L5:- Having described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an automatic bucket, the combination with a suitable frame, of scoop portions, long links connecting the inner ends of said scoop portions with said frame and short links connecting the outer ends of said scoop portions with said frame, whereby said buckets are permitted to swing outward from the closed position to a substantially vertical position when opened, an operating bell crank for each scoop portion, pivoted in said frame One at each end thereof, a short link connecting one arm Of each bell crank with the Outer end of one of said scoop sections, a central transverse shaft vertically movable in said frame, links connecting said shaft with the remaining arms of said bell cranks and a rope and pulley device for withdrawing said vertically movable shaft into said frame to close said scoop portions together, substantially as described.

2. In an automatic bucket, in combination, a frame, scoop portions suspended therefrom for horizontal and vertical movement, an Operating bell crank for each scoopportion, pivoted in said frame, and a link connecting the Outer end of each scoop portion with one arm of its corresponding bell crank, a toggle joint having its central, pivot vertically movable, and having links pivotally attached to said bell cranks, a hold up rope attached to said toggle joint at the pivotal point, a central drum and power pulley on a common aXis pivoted in said frame, a closing rope passing over said drum, and a second operating closing rope o eratively connecting said toggle joint at t e central pivot point with the said power pulley, substantially as described.

3. In an automatic bucket, the combination with a frame, Of scoop portions mounted in said frame for horizontal and vertical movement, bell cranks operatively connected with the said scoop portions, a toggle joint operatively connecting said bell cranks and means for de ressing said toggle joint to Operate said be l cranks tO close said sooo p ortiOns together substantially as describe( 4. In an automatic bucket, the combination with a frame, comprising side pieces and a transverse diaphragm, scoop portions suspended therefrom for horizontal and substantially vertical movement, said scoop portions adapted to close together underneath said frame, bell cranks transversely pivoted in said diaphragm, one for each scoop l)ortion and operatively connected therewith at the Outer end thereof, a toggle joint comprising duplicate links, pivotally connected together on the vertical central line of the bucket, said pivotal point being vertically movable in said frame, and said links operatively connected with said bell cranks, a large pulley centrally pivoted in said diaphragm, power pulleys movable therewith one On each side thereof, a central pivotal shaft for the toggle joint, a power rope operatively connecting said shaft with said power pulleys, a hold up rope connected with said shaft, and a closing rope passing over said large pulley, substantially as described. In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand this 3d day of September 1907.

EDMONI) F. ATI-IERTON. In presence Of- WM. M. MONROE, GEO. S. COLE. 

